Starspangledbanner

What did you get up to during the lockdown? Did you finally build that patio that you promised you'd complete years ago? Maybe you took up exercising? Or did you go searching for a broodmare after one of her sons put up an eye-catching performance on the track only to find her pulling carts in Belgium and, after initially being told that she's not for sale, did you finally strike a deal for the price of a small second-hand car? Thought not. Kevin Blake, the popular ITV racing pundit and...

A deal has been struck for globetrotting star State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Repose by Quiet American), who added to his truly unique record of Group 1 triumphs when battling to Prix Ganay glory at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, to stand at Rathbarry Stud once his racing days are finished. Trained by Joseph O'Brien, State Of Rest won the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. before beating the best of the Australians in the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last season. His reappearance win at ParisLongchamp hardened his reputation as one...

Ellie Whitaker and Tegan Clark clearly remember the empty silence that followed an email blast out to the industry upon the launch of WC Equine. "We had a list of trainers' emails," recalls Clark. "And we put together an email saying we're here, this is what we're doing, along with background of what we've done before, and emailed 93 of them." Whitaker takes up the story. "We got three responses, all saying good luck! It's about selling a product at the end of the day and we didn't have a...

Repose (Quiet American), the dam of last year's G1 Cox Plate and GI Saratoga Derby Invitational winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), will visit champion sire Frankel (GB) this year, owner Dermot Cantillon told the TDN. The 10-year-old mare is in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire) and is due to foal soon. State Of Rest is the second foal out of Repose, and he was bought by Diamond Bloodstock for 45,000gns as a foal before being pinhooked for 60,000gns when purchased as a yearling by Aiden O'Ryan and...

While it was the multi-million Euro mares who stole the limelight at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale two weeks ago, there were successes to be celebrated beneath those top prices. Among the most remarkable of those has to be Haras de l'Aumonerie's Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 145), who was bought by Yeomanstown Stud for €170,000. The colt, already named Captain Star (Fr), had plenty going for him on both sides of his pedigree, being by a popular sire and a brother to two stakes horses, including none other than this...

The dual Royal Ascot winner, Group 1-winning sprinter and influential sire Choisir (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has died at Coolmore Australia at the age of 22. Trained by Paul Perry for Terry Wallace and Partners, Choisir can be considered an equine pioneer for the role he played in opening the floodgates through the early part of this century for Australian sprinters to travel north during the Southern Hemisphere winter and put the locals in their place. A top-class 2-year-old who was placed in all three legs of Australia's juvenile Triple...

Listed-winning and Group 1-placed 2-year-old filly Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the second-highest rated juvenile filly currently trained in Britain, will be offered at this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale on Nov. 30. A 125,000gns purchase from last year's edition of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Flotus broke her maiden at first asking on May 22 for trainers Simon and Ed Crisford, earning 'TDN Rising Star' status. She missed the board in her next three tries but bounced back to take Ripon's Listed Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy...

DONCASTER, UK--Any fears that a reduced catalogue and lack of high-end Maktoum participation could lead to a soft market at the Goffs UK Premier Sale were firmly quashed as the auction came to a close on Wednesday in Doncaster with a set of results that compared favourably with the pre-Covid era. At 366 lots, Goffs UK compiled a catalogue that was 8.5% smaller than last year. Yet in a testament to the quality of horse on offer, not to mention the appetite of buyers on the ground, the sale returned...

It would be perfectly natural to feel some regret for having sold a mare in the same year that she foaled a subsequent treble Group 1 winner. But you will hear nothing of the sort from Michael Gaffney of Churchtown House Stud, breeder of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never). "We are absolutely thrilled with what she has done. We are very proud of her and very pleased for her owner Jeff Smith," says Gaffney. "It's a huge thing for us to have bred a filly like her--we are not...

Dual stakes-winning juvenile Castle Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will bypass Royal Ascot and instead target the G2 Railway S. at The Curragh on June 26. "We'll stay closer to home at the moment and we'll travel later on in the year," said trainer Fozzy Stack. "He's shown already he's as effective over five and six. He'll go for the Railway, then maybe the [G1] Phoenix and the [G1 Prix] Morny or the [G1] Middle Park, something like that." Castle Star broke his maiden at third asking in The Curragh's Listed...

On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, we spoke with a number of leading industry figures about value. Today we hear from Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm. TDN: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee? CB: Pinatubo (Ire) was a top-class 2-year-old and his introductory fee of £35,000 is probably very fair compared to where similar horses have started off over the years. Shamardal is the sire of Lope De Vega (Ire) and he comes from the female...

Carrying a five-pound penalty for her G1 Cheveley Park S. win in 2019, Stonethorn Stud Farms Limited's Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) made light of that burden to return to the winner's enclosure in style in Wednesday's G3 Yeomanstown Stud Ballyogan S. at Naas. On the front foot from the outset under Shane Foley, the 9-4 second favourite who was no match for Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the course-and-distance G3 Lacken S. last time took control passing halfway and drew away to score by four lengths from Pronouncement...